Life, and Everything Else
by SkyNinjaPirate
Summary: AU. A collection of short (some not so short) stories, all connected, about Zack and Aerith. Lots of fluff, a bit of humor and a bit of sadness.
1. Winter

My first FFVII fanfic, and one long overdue! This takes place in Gaia, but a slightly different one. There's no 'under the plate' in Midgar, and Shinra is not all-powerful. Zack and Cloud, among others, work for Shinra, but they are more of a security-company than a "war machine", specializing in bodyguards, armed escorts, and so on. Aerith is not hunted down for her heritage, and some other small changes. You will understand as this goes on.

This was actually going to be a collection of short one-shots, and it still is, you know, except this chap (and a few others probably), which somehow got rather long, or longer than intended... o_O They are connected, but some of them jump ahead in time quite a bit. Remember to leave a review, and I will give you a cookie!

I do not own anything! (though I wish I did, 'cause then Aerith and Zack would be alive and all cuddly!) Everything belongs to SquareEnix!

**Chapter 1 – Winter**

The snow fell thick and heavy, covering all the gray which was Midgar in a powdery, white blanket. It had not snowed like this in years, and everything in the city was in chaos. Nearly everyone had left their cars at home, rather walking through the storm, or taking the buses, which were large enough to drive through the snow, but still vehicles could be see in ditches and in the piles of snow on the sides of the road all across Midgar.

Zack Fair was sitting in a small cafe on the corner of one of the main streets in huge city, in the Loveless District, drinking his coffee and waiting for his friend, Cloud, who was supposed to meet him ten minutes ago.

A cold draft swept through the small cafe, and as Zack lifted his head from the newspaper he saw Cloud at the entrance, dusting snow out of his hair, and shrugging out of his winter coat. The blonde quickly walked over to the register and ordered something before he made his way over to the window and Zack.

"Took you long enough." Zack grinned. He had not expected Cloud to be on time to begin with, the weather was to extreme and all traffic stood more or less still. Zack was lucky, seeing as he only lived five minutes walking distance away, which today had taken him 10 minutes.

"Yeah, well..." Cloud simply gestured to the world on the other side of the glass.

"So, what's the plans for the day?" Zack leaned back, sipping at his still hot coffee. "Lunch, beer, and then to the party?"

"Are you sure it's a good idea to drink before?" Cloud looked at his friend with a suspicious look. At the last Shinra company party Zack had made out with one of the secretaries, danced at a table with said secretary, thrown up in one of the pot plants outside the boss' office, only to pass out right after midnight for Cloud to drag his sorry ass back home. He did not want a rerun from last year.

"Don't worry." Zack grinned, the memories from last year had never come back, but he knew for sure that he had had a great time, though Cloud had felt terribly sorry for himself at the end of it all. "It will only be a couple of beers, and I will not hook up with Darcy afterward. She's to be married now, remember."

Cloud gave him one of those looks, which all but screamed that he did not believe a word Zack had said. "It's not so much the Darcy part I'm worried about, it's the 'I have to carry you home' part I don't care for."

Before Zack could protest, a waitress arrived at their table with hamburgers. "I took the liberty of ordering for you as well." Cloud explained.

"You're the best boyfriend ever!" Zack said in a high-pitch voice, batting his eyelashes at Cloud, who was used to Zack's immature behavior and simply rolled his eyes.

They sat eating, and not many words were spoken during the meal, except Zack's commenting on how hot the waitress was, and that he definitively would ask for her number later, which he did as soon as she came back to check on them. It didn't shock either of them when she gave him a wink, replying that she would write it down on their receipt.

After they were done, Cloud's phone rang, and he excused himself and walked a little further into the cafe, where there were fewer people. Zack couldn't help but grin, it was probably that girl Cloud didn't want to talk about, though he always blushed and said it was to early to know anything yet. There was no point in pestering Cloud about it though, he would tell Zack everything in his own time.

Instead Zack cast a casual glance outside and nearly choked on his second coffee. Right outside the window stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. With the wind and the snow billowing around her, she looked like an angel. She had long chestnut hair, pale, porcelain skin, and green eyes which made all around her seem like the brightest summer. She was standing on the corner, huddling in her white coat, casting a quick glance at her reflection in the window, looking Zack right in the eyes, though she did not know it, before hurrying across the street on heels which would clatter against the asphalt had the snow not covered it completely.

He did not know how long he watched her for, but he saw her talking to a couple of people she obviously knew, laughing and smiling, and with that smile his heart beat faster, and saw her back as she disappeared into a small shop on the corner right across from where he sat. He didn't see her come out, and so he stared at the shop, and that door, until Cloud returned and asked him if something was wrong.

"We gotta go." Zack got up and quickly pulled on his jacket. "You're done, right? 'Cause we really gotta go."

"What are you talking about, Zack?" Cloud looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, no!" Zack shock his head, as he all but pushed Cloud towards the door, barely stopping to slap some money down on the counter, before jogging out the door, leaving Cloud to receive the change and a rather ugly look from the waitress whom Zack had talked to earlier.

Once outside Zack searched the area, just to make sure the girl had not moved outside the shop he had seen her walk into earlier. With no sign of her, Zack came to the conclusion that the brunette was still inside the small corner-store. And so he rushed across the street, barely avoiding being hit by a car.

Cloud jogged after him, yelling at him for almost getting them killed, for being a weirdo and a whole bunch of other things that Zack, frankly, couldn't care less about. He had his eyes on the target, just as they had been trained by ShinRa to do.

As he reached the small shop on the corner, Zack realized that it was not exactly open for business as it was right in the middle of being reconstructed. There were no real sign over the door and all the windows were covered with plastic and boarda so there was no way of looking inside. Zack cocked his head, scratching it in annoyance, wondering what to do next, he couldn't just walk into a closed shop after all.

The unlikely rescue came in his blonde friend, who had finally caught up with him. "What are you _doing_?" Cloud glared at him. "And why are you staring at the flower shop like that?"

"Flower shop?" Zack looked quizzically at Cloud. "How do you know what it is?"

"At least I think so. I heard that an old friend of mine just bought the place, and she's remodeling it before opening her flower shop. She just moved here, and I haven't seen her in ages."

"So, this friend of yours, does she happen to be our age, long brown hair and insanely gorgeous?" Zack all but beamed, and Cloud figured that this could lead to no good, but none the less he nodded reluctantly, and before he could really register what was going on, Zack had grabbed him by the arm and all but pulled him inside the shop.

The shop did not look nearly as run down inside as it did outside. It was almost finished, and all that was missing was the actual flowers and some other few, minor details. Zack nodded approvingly, the girl obviously had taste.

Suddenly an angelic voice reached them from across the room. "I'm sorry, but we will not open in another..." The girl from before had walk out from a back-storage room, and just spotted them as she cut herself short. She just stood there, watching them for a second, and Zack was able to take her in; her hair reached to her waist, and gleamed in the light. She wore a white tunic, or dress or something, black tights and black, high-heeled ankle-boots. A simple bracelet graced her right wrist. It was all so simple, but it amplified her beauty to the point where Zack could do nothing but stare, which was exactly the same thing she did.

Suddenly the brunette nearly shouted Cloud's name before running over, throwing herself into the blond's arms, and giving him a long, heartfelt hug.

"What are you doing here?" She held Cloud at arms length and beamed at him. "It's been so long. How are you?"

"I was in the neighborhood, and I thought that I'd stop by." Cloud pulled her in for another hug, and Zack had never before felt the need to strangle anyone so bad ever before. "What are you doing in Midgar? I heard you had moved here, but I thought you were supposed to moved to Costa del Sol with..."

Aerith cut him short with a huff. "Well, that turned out badly, and there was nothing in Niebelheim to go back to, since my mom and basically everyone else moved elsewhere. So I told myself that I would come here and do something just for me. And so I bought this place. You know how I've always wanted a flower shop." She grinned widely.

To Zack it seemed like he was being completely ignored, but then, to his relief, Cloud turned slightly towards him and said; "This is Zack, by the way, we were room-mates during ShinRa training, and now we work together."

The brunette turned towards him, and Zack felt his breath catch in his throat. He had though she was beautiful before, from a distance, trough a window, but now that she stood before him and smiled at him, and looked into his eyes with those emerald gems, he honestly knew he could die happily right there and then. What was this girl doing to him? But then she spoke and extended her hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm Aerith, childhood friend of Cloud's, we went to school together back in Niebelheim."

Zack tried really hard not to sound nervous, but sort of failed miserably. "Zack Fair, nice to meet me...I mean you!"

She giggled as he shook her hand awkwardly, and the look Cloud gave him did not help at all. He was lucky if Cloud did not tell of this stuttering to absolutely everyone they worked with at the party later. He did, after all, have the reputation of being a womanizer, but right now he acted more like a love-struck puppy!

"So..." She tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear. "What makes you walk around in weather like this? It's crazy out there. I nearly froze to death getting here." She grinned at them, and to Zack it seemed she was actually enjoying the snow. After all, Cloud had told him about the extreme snow in Niebelheim during winter, and how he missed real snow, since it rarely came to Midgar.

"We were actually on our way to the pub," Cloud explained, and Zack cringed inwardly. He had the feeling that to a girl such as Aerith, drinking in the middle of a weekday was a no-go. But to his surprise Cloud continued; "Wanna join us?"

And the surprises kept on coming, because Aerith smiled again. "I would really like that, but there are so many things that needs to be done here, and I'm waiting for one of the guys that worked on the renovation to help me do some heavy lifting." She locked her hands behind her back and leaned slightly closer to Zack. "I know this comes as a shock, but I'm not a strong as I look."

Zack laughed. He couldn't help it. This girl was cute and gorgeous, and her smile made him all warm and tingly.

"Hey!" She tried her hardest look upset, but failed miserably. "Cloud, your friend is a meanie! He's making fun of me!"

Cloud merely shock his head, a small smile on his face but not much else of a reaction.

Zack on the other hand was just getting warm, and her reaction to the things he did was just what he needed to get over his nervousness and really get into the game. He turned on his charm and kept up with the little game she had started.

Reaching out he lightly poked her upper arm. "Nope, no muscles, none what-so-ever. Sorry, sweetcakes, but that's the gospel truth."

Again she tried to pout, but it shortly evolved into a full-fledged laugh. "By Gaia, Cloud, where have you kept him hidden all these years?" She grinned at Zack, his heart-rate increased drastically, and he couldn't help but grin back. This was going so much better than he had imagined after the slightly embarrassing start.

Cloud was just about to answer, but his phone started ringing and instead he excused himself and went outside. For a few seconds the silence lay thick in the empty flower-shop, but soon Zack spoke up.

"He's been doing that for a few days now, running off whenever someone calls him. I think it's a girl, but he refuses to tell me!"

"A girl? Really?" The though seemed to amuse the brunette, and due to a questioning look from Zack she elaborated. "Cloud was always really shy around girls back in school, especially a girl named Tifa. She and I were best friends, still are actually. He had a huge crush on her but always stammered and blushed around her. A real shame, since she liked him to, but never had the courage to tell him." She looked at Zack with a mischievous grin. "Real chickens, don't you agree?"

Zack couldn't help but grin and agree. That was his Cloud alright, seemingly all though and rough, but when it came straight down to it, at least on the subject of emotions, he could be the world's biggest wuss.

After a few seconds of quiet, Zack crossed his arms and let his gaze scan the small shop again. "So, this guy coming to help you, was he supposed to be here by now?"

"Yes," Aerith sighted. "I really want to open this place up for business on Friday, but the firm I hired keeps pushing things back. Luckily I haven't payed them for this part yet, but still..." She turned, scanning her shop, visualizing all the things she had planned for this place, but it seemed it would have to wait for a little while longer.

Zack felt sorry for her, being so close to having her dream come true, and now just waiting for someone who never showed up. An idea came to mind, one which would allow him to be around her for a little while more. "I can help."

She looked at him with wide eyes, surprise clear in her eyes. "What...?"

He scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to put this, without sounding too eager. "You know, the heavy lifting. I can help out if you'll let me, so this place can get up and running sooner. Besides, if we get some done now, you don't have to wait for someone who's not coming anyway, and join us instead." He finished by putting on his biggest, most charming grin.

Aerith smiled shyly and looked at her feet, pushing a few stray hairs behind her ear, and Zack couldn't help but wonder if this was some sort of nervous habit of hers, which he found adorable. "I really don't want to trouble you..."

"No trouble at all." He quickly cut in. "Happy to help if you need it."

"Oh, OK." Again with the hair. "I would love that. Thank you so much."

Her eyes met his, and her smile was so warm and so genuine that Zack lost his train of thoughts. He quickly pulled himself together though, and grinned back, and after a few seconds standing like that, Zack was lead to the backroom where the heavy boxes were placed and he got to work while Aerith instructed and moved a few lighter objects into place.

By the time Cloud had finished his conversation, Aerith and Zack had actually gotten a lot done, and after a few more well-placed one-liners from Zack, followed by eye-rolling and head-shaking from Cloud, Aerith agreed to come with them to the pub for a few drinks.

"Give me a second, OK?" She said as she headed towards the back-room again. "I'm just going to grab my coat and bag, and I'll be ready to go."

As soon as she was out of ears range, Cloud turned to Zack with a disapproving scold on his face. "What are you playing at?" He kept going when Zack's reaction was a blank stare. "She's one of my oldest, best friends. I care about her, a lot. And you are nothing less than a man-whore, hitting on everything with two legs, and boobs!" Cloud more or less poked his dark-haired friend in the chest with every word.

"Chill, dude." Zack lowered his voice, not wanting Aerith to hear them. "I'm not playing at anything. You may believe it or not, but I actually kinda like her."

"_Kinda like her_? What's that supposed to mean? Whenever you _like_ a girl, it lasts for a week, two tops. I'm not going to let that happen to her, not Aerith. She's been through enough shit in her life already." Cloud all but hissed in anger, keeping his voice down to make sure Aerith didn't overhear them by accident. The last thing he needed right now was Aerith's fury because he was being overprotective.

"Relax, please!" Zack cast a quick glance towards the door leading to the back-storage. "I promise, I won't do anything stupid, or careless, or anything of the sort. Just, please, believe me when I say that this might be it, Cloud. I've known her for less than an hour and I... I..." He couldn't finish his sentence and fell mute.

Cloud sighed, he could see it all written on Zack's face. His best friend was falling for Aerith, and Cloud couldn't blame him at all. "Just, take things slow, OK? And if you break her heart, I'll break your face and then I'll put you down before you can even begin to run away."

Zack grinned, Cloud was exaggerating, he could tell. The whole setting was weird, and made him feel things he had never felt before, all up on cloud nine or whichever cloud it was. The cloud-thing was actually not a good comparison though, as Cloud stood there shaking his head, trying hard to hide the tiniest little smile under a scowl.

"Are you ready to go?" Aerith startled them both out of their thoughts, and she looked at them curiously. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"No, nothing to interrupt." Cloud said, sounding pretty normal. "Shall we then?"

Aerith nodded and headed towards the door with Cloud in tow. Once at the door they walked outside, and she turned to look at Zack who still stood his ground, a goofy grin on his face. "Are you coming, Zack?"

Her voice made him all tingly, and with a grin he followed.


	2. Snow

I want to challenge you, the reader, to help out with this fic. Leave a review or send me a PM with one word (the headline) and a short sentence which is the summary of the chapter. I will put it as part of this fanfic. I have written a few chapters though, so it might not come immediately. Hopefully some of you will like this idea :)

**Chapter 2 – Snow**

The snow did not seem to want to stop. It had been falling all day, and shortly after the sun had gone down, it had picked up greatly. So much in fact, that by the time they were done eating, and the snow finally stopped, Zack's car had completely disappeared in the white blanked which covered the entire city.

"Damn it!" Zack cursed under his breath.

Aerith giggled. "Do you need your car in the nearest future?"

He turned towards her, a sad look on his face. "I need it to drive you home."

"You can walk me home." She clasped her hands behind her back, and leaning slightly closer, tilting her head with a smile on her face. "It's not to cold, and it is lovely outside."

Zack laughed. "Lovely? You call this snowy hell lovely?"

"Yes, indeed!" Aerith's face lit up. "It's a `Winter Wonderland`! Come on!" Without warning she grabbed his hand in hers, and dragged him down the street. "We both live in the same part of town, and it's not too far. Let's enjoy the snow while it lasts!"

He couldn't help but smile, her enthusiasm was infectious.

As they walked there hand in hand, his mind drifted to the date which technically was not over yet. He had first asked her out a few days after their first meeting, casually walking into her now open flower-shop and while choking on his words asked if she wanted to go out with him. She had given him such a bright smile it could rival the sun, and said that she would love to. And so, three days later he had taken her out on a nice dinner were the conversation had flown easily and the laughter sat loose. He had had an amazing time, and he was actually glad they were forced to walk home, as it only meant he could spend more time with her before he had to say goodnight.

As they walked on, they neared the park. It would be a longer rout home, but Zack decided it would be more romantic walking the paths between the trees with all the Christmas lights and the pure snow, than trekking the asphalt jungle. He puller her with him and entered the quiet park.

"This reminds me of home." Her voice was so soft, and they had been walking in silence for so long, Zack nearly jumped out of his skin. "The snow is so untouched and pure, the trees covered in snow." She continued as he studied her. "This is nice."

"This entire evening have been nice." Zack whispered.

She turned towards him, her small hand gently squeezing his. "Yes, it has been wonderful."

They walked on, her head now slightly touching his shoulder. After a while they came upon a small hill, where many children and adults were gathered. They were all having a good time, sleighing, having snowball fight, building snow caves and making snow angels.

"Oh, that looks like fun!" Aerith's smile widened. "Come on, let us make snow angels!"

"I don't..." He stopped as she looked at him, huge emerald eyes pleading him to humor her, and he sighted, knowing that even though he barely knew her, she could ask him for the moon and look at him this way, and he would make it happen.

...

An hour or so later they were standing outside her door. Zack was frozen to the bones, and still covered in snow. His clothes were not at all waterproof, he knew that now.

"I had a lovely time tonight, Zack." Aerith said, that small, warm smile on her face.

"Me too," he grinned back, trying not to make his shivering to visible. "We should do it again sometime."

"Make snow angels?"

He laughed. "Yes, that to, even though the kids were making fun of me, and made me their own, personal running snowball-target."

Aerith laughed as well.

"Well, good night then." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before closing the door. "Call me."

Zack was suddenly all warm again, and he knew that he most definitely would call her!


	3. Kiss

SquareEnix owns everything!

**Chapter 3 - Kiss**

The second her lips met his for the first time, Zack knew he could die without any regrets. It felt as though every kiss before this one had been a waste of time, a complete failure and utterly wrong compered to this. Her lips seemed to be made to fit his, or his to fit hers. It truly did not matter, as long as it never ended.

Unfortunately it did. It was only a quick, chaste kiss, given at the end of a third date, at which he had followed her to her door and wished her goodnight. He did not dare do anything more as Cloud had clearly stated the he would cut Zack's man-parts off if he moved to quick, or ever hurt Aerith. So Zack had simply given her a hug, and turned to leave, when she grabbed his arm, turned him around and kissed him.

Zack stood there dazed for a few seconds, trying to recover. Aerith giggled and tried covering it with her hand.

He quickly came back to reality. "Are you laughing at me?" He asked mischievously, and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him. She laughed harder, halfheartedly resisting him. He kissed her again, stopping her laughter quickly enough. This kiss lasted longer, felt more serious, intense.

He finally pulled away, slightly out of breath. Aerith seemed the same, her cheeks a bit flushed and her green eyes warm and inviting, sparkling.

"I better go home now," he whispered, afraid that anything louder would somehow ruin everything. To be honest, he wanted nothing more than to stay, but he also wanted to take things slow, enjoy everything as it progressed naturally, something he had never believed himself capable of. This girl was really something else.

Aerith nodded, resting her forehead against his. "Yeah, you probably should."

"So, what's the plan for next time then?" He grinned to himself. There was no point in trying to pretend they wouldn't go out again, as they both knew this was just the beginning. And what a beginning!

She simply grinned at him, leaned a bit closer and whispered. "Surprise me." Before pulling him back in.

Yes, Zack could most definitely get used to this.


	4. Chocolate

A big thanks to Womble619! Reviews always makes it easier to write :) And you have to check out his amazing fic: "Fearing the 1st", which is awesome!

This chapter is a bit longer then the previous two. Enjoy! Everything belongs to SquareEnix!

**Chapter 4 - Chocolate**

Aerith was about to cry. She never, ever, got sick. It just so happened that this particular cold had not gotten the message, and now she lay buried under a mountain of blankets, a cup of tea in front of her, and a thousand Kleenexes spread all over her living room floor.

The worst part was though, that she was running out of cough-medicine, not to mention that she was supposed to go on a date with Zack tonight!

Their fourth date, to be exact, and he had promised her a date she would never forget. Her cold didn't matter, that her newly opened flower shop would not be in business for a few days didn't matter, or the fact the she felt like something had chewed her up and spit her back out didn't matter. That she would miss this unforgettable date; that mattered! She had not known Zack for very long, but whatever they got going felt so unbelievably right!

Of course, now she had to cancel. She had to call and tell him there would be no date tonight. For the millionth time that day she grabbed a Kleenex. Her nose was beet red and sore, this really couldn't get any worse...

After putting it of for as long as she possibly could, Aerith picked up her phone and dialed Zack's number. She had been hoping for a miracle all day, praying that she would suddenly get better and be able to go on the date. It had been a silly thought, of course, she knew that.

It was ringing on the other end, but Zack didn't pick up the phone. He was most likely still at work. Instead she left a message. Her voice was hoarse and barely a whisper, and she hoped he would at least hear that she really was sick.

"Hi, it's me, Aerith. I'm down with a cold, so I can't make it tonight. I'm really sorry, and I really hope we can reschedule. OK then, bye."

After hanging up, she felt worse than ever. This was so unfair!

…

Aerith woke with a start as someone knocked gently on her front door. She had fallen asleep on the couch a few hours earlier and her tea was now ice cold.

"Just a minute." She managed to say before untangling herself from the warm blankets. In her fuzzy slippers and moogle pajamas she really didn't want to see anyone, but she couldn't exactly pretend she wasn't at home either.

To her big surprise, it was Zack standing at her door. His smile was warm and genuine, and he was carrying a plastic bag. "How are you feeling?"

Aerith blushed, the last thing she wanted was for him to see her like this. "What are you doing here? Had I known you were coming, I would've... changed, or something ... brushed my teeth!"

Zack's smile only grew larger. "Well, I think you look more beautiful than ever!"

She knew he was lying. After all, she had not combed her hair and it was all messy, she had on the oldest, most ridiculous sleeping-wear known to humans, and her face was red and puffy. He made an effort though, and it melted her heart.

"So, can I come in?"

Aerith was pulled out of her daydreaming, and stepped aside, allowing Zack to enter. This was the first time he was in her apartment, and she realized she was a bit nervous about him seeing this place, especially since it was such a mess.

Feeling weak and dizzy, Aerith sat down on the couch again, while Zack sat down in the chair next to it.

"This place is nice." He looked around. "You never answered my question though; how are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Don't lie." He grinned at her.

"I'm not!" Her protest came across more like a whine, and his grin only grew.

"Just relax, okay? I'm gonna take care of you." He got up, gently squeezing her shoulder as he walked past her. "I'll make you something hot to drink."

Aerith smiled after him as he mapped out her small apartment and walked into the kitchen, the plastic bag in hand. He was beyond sweet, and for him to take care of her like this meant the world to her.

"Thank you, Zack." She said.

He was going through her cupboards and she could hear the water boiler being turned on. "Don't worry about it, just lay down and relax, OK? You need to get better, so I can take you on that date." The humor in his voice was so clear, Aerith giggled. How she had been so lucky to find him, was beyond her.

"Why the hurry?" she couldn't help but ask, followed by a fit of coughs.

Zack came back to the living room, a steaming mug in his hands. "Because it has snow involved, and I'm worried it will melt before we have a change to go. After so much planning I don't want it to go to waste." He was smiling as he handed her the mug.

"Really?" Aerith placed the beverage on the coffee table. "It has snow involved? I thought you didn't like snow."

Zack shrugged. "I don't, but you do."

Her smile was so huge it hurt, and her heart swelled. If only she didn't feel so disgusting right now she would have kissed him. Never had she met someone so unselfish, it seemed like he always put her wishes first.

"That smile there," he said, brushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "That's worth everything." and he kissed her, slowly, gently, and Aerith grabbed hold of his collar without thinking. The moment was perfect.

Then a thought came to her. Aerith pulled away, a look of horror on her face. "You'll get sick!" She started coughing. "And I haven't even brushed my teeth!"

He laughed out loud, hugging her. "The look on your face!" He sobered up quickly though, and gave her a charming and mischievous grin. "And to be honest, it would be worth it."

Aerith grinned to, and shoved him playfully. She really did feel better, just by him being there.

"Now, drink up!" Zack placed the now perfectly warm mug in her hands again. "Oh, and I brought you this." He grabbed the bag and put it on her table. It was filled with all the basics. Painkillers, Kleenex, cough medicine and chocolate! "I used it to make that." Zack said as he saw her eying one of the opened chocolate bars and pointed at her steaming cup.

"Home-made, huh?" Aerith smiled and took a small sip, her eyes widening. "This is really good! The best cocoa I've ever had!"

"Don't tell anyone, but I'm a master cocoa-maker." he whispered.

Aerith snorted, nearly getting cocoa out of her nose. "Silly!"

"Feeling a bit better?" Zack said as he studied her.

"Yes." Aerith felt a bit uncomfortable under his stare, but only a little, and only because she was sick and looked the part. It didn't seem to bother Zack the least though, and Aerith slowly felt herself relax. After downing the cocoa, and taking a bit more medicine, she actually did feel a lot better, and very sleepy. She covered a yawn with her hand.

"You should rest." Zack stated. "Like I said, I need you up and running before the snow melts entirely."

"I can't sleep while you're here," she protested. "That would be really rude."

"I'll be fine. You have a TV, right?" He reached for the remote. "Now, sleep! It's an order." His voice seemed gruff, but his eyes sparkled. This was probably the voice he used to sound in charge when he worked, and Aerith couldn't help but grin at the image. To her, he seemed way to positive and energetic to boss anyone around and truly mean it.

"Yes, sir!" she saluted him, causing Zack to chuckle as he shook his head.

"You really need to work on that."

"I thought I was supposed to go to sleep." Aerith loved the way they would joke and banter like this. Her previous relationships had not been like this, and she realized just now that it had been the reason none of them had lasted. Hopefully, this could turn out to be different.

"Yes, you are!" Zack stood and wrapped the blankets thoightly around her, making her warm and snugly. "We can work on that when you wake up."

Aerith nodded and felt her eyes start to close. "Hey, Zack?"

"What is it, beautiful?"

She smiled. "Will you be here when I wake up?"

She didn't see the warm smile on his face as he looked at her. "I'll stay for as long as you want."

And with that she feel asleep.


	5. Photograph

Warning: this turned out much fluffier and sweeter (almost disgustingly so) than planned. These characters do weird stuff to my head! Halp! D:

Please leave a review, I know it is being read (I take sneak peaks at the traffic stats every once in a while, I'm sneaky like that) so it would make me very happy to know what you guys think of it :)

Disclaimer: SquareEnix owns everything!

**Chapter 5 - Photograph**

"Can I look now?"

"Haven't you hear that curiosity killed the cat?"

"Good thing I'm not a cat then..." Aerith deadpanned, growing more and more restless, where she stood with a scarf tied over her eyes, and placed in the middle of nowhere, snow above her ankles. It wasn't that she was sick of waiting, not really, it was just that this was the big date he'd been talking about, the one they had been forced to postpone because she had been sick, and she was beyond exited and curious.

Zack had completely ignored her comment, and hummed quietly to himself for a little while longer, and Aerith was sure he did it on purpose.

Finally she heard footsteps in the snow making their way towards her, and Zack placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. It made her heart race and her stomach flutter. It did not help at all when he leaned close to her ear and whispered affectionately so her heart was sure to stop.

"Are you ready for your surprise?"

Aerith did not trust her own voice, so instead she bit her lip and nodded.

The blindfold was slowly removed from her eyes, and the view took her breath away.

Zack had taken her to the still snow-covered park they had walked through when they had been on their first date. Lights hung from nearly every branch in every tree which surrounded the small clearing in which he had built a place for them to sit and covered them in furs and blankets. A small bonfire was burning bright, and Aerith figured he had lit it just before he had removed the blindfold. A small basked stood on the furs and contained, as she could see at least, a bottle of champagne, a thermos and a varied selection of fruits and chocolate.

"What do you think?" He did that thing he did when he was nervous, she noticed, scratching the back of his neck, head slightly leaning forwards. It was so adorable. She would never tell him of course, his manly pride would probably take a severe beating if she did.

Instead Aerith focused on the scene in front of her, how much work he had put into this and how beautiful it looked.

"It is absolutely wonderful," she breathed. "How did you do all this?"

"Oh, you know, a little help from a friend or two, and then paying four kids to protect this place with their lives while I picked you up."

"You didn't!"

"I did." Zack grinned at her wide-eyed expression. "The very same that gave me a hard time last we were here actually. They weren't as tough once they realized I work for SOLDIER.."

Aerith laughed, and Zack's grin widened. "You are a strange man, Zack Fair."

"As long as you like strange, that's fine with me."

"That I most certainly do." Aerith took his hand and dragged him closer, kissing him gently on the lips. "Thank you, this is the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me."

He looked a little bashful, but only for a second before their lips met again, more fiercely this time.

When they finally drew a part for air, Zack's smile could probably rival the sun, and Aerith's heart swelled with the knowledge that she was the cause of it, and that her own smile reflected his.

"Well then..." Zack breathed hard. "Maybe we should start this picnic, before the champagne freezes to ice and our seating melts to water."

"Let's!" Aerith smiled.

"After you, my lady."

Giggling, she sat down, and was soon wrapped in a warm blanked, a glass placed in her hand. It was beyond perfect. He was beyond perfect.

Zack sat down beside her and put his arm around her, drawing her closer.

"Thank you, Zack." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Thank you so much for this, and everything else."

He looked at her for a second. "Everything else?"

Looking up into his eyes, she smiled before placing a hand on his cheek. "For being you." She gave him a small kiss just on the corner of his mouth, causing him to grin again. "Although, I must warn you," Aerith continued. "You will have a hard time beating this date."

His laugh was low and warm, and it vibrated form his chest. "If you give me a chance, I will at least try very hard to beat it, maybe rent an air-balloon next time!"

Aerith pretended to think this over for a while, before sighing in pretend resignation. "I guess I will have no choice but to give you a chance."

"Does that mean we're official?"

The question took her a little aback, but looking up into his eyes there was no doubt in her mind.

"I would like that." She put a finger over his lips just as he was about to say something more. "But just between us for now, ok? It's still really early on, and I want to be just us for a while longer. Everyone else just tend to make a mess. Besides, the only one of your friends I know is Cloud, and I've known him longer than you so that doesn't count, and you haven't met any of my frie..."

She was cut short as Zack kissed her quickly. "Relax," he smiled down at her. "We'll be '_unofficially official'_. The only thing I know is that I've never met anyone like you, and it's a wonder you even want to be around a guy like me, so I'm not planning on letting go anytime soon."

Not much was said after that, as Aerith's lips crashed into his and all thought of the picnic was forgotten for the next twenty minutes.

Later, they would take a picture together, their first. Once it was printed, Aerith hung the photograph on her refrigerator, and every time she looked at it her thoughts would fly back to that wonderful evening and how Zack had '_unofficially officially'_ become hers.


	6. Friends

No Zack in this one, just talk about Zack. Tifa is adorable, and I love her and Aerith as bffs!

**Chapter 6 - Friends**

"So," Tifa took a small sip of her coffee. "Are you ready to tell me about this guy you've been going out with?"

Sighing dreamily, Aerith nodded. "He's so... just..."

"Wow," Tifa grinned. "You really like him, don't you?"

Aerith nodded again, looking down into the content of her half-empty coffee mug. "I really do! And he is so sweet." She grinned to herself. "Do you remember two weeks ago, when I was sick?"

Tifa did. They had spoken over the phone, and she had never heard her best friend sound so ill, and they had after all known each other since they were kids.

"Well, I was supposed to go on a date with him the first day, but obviously I had to cancel. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he knocks on my door, bringing me medicine, makes me cocoa and just stays to take care of me."

Tifa looked shocked. "After how many dates?"

"That date was supposed to be our forth. Isn't that the sweetest thing?"

The raven haired woman had to agree.

"First time I met him, he helped me a lot in the store, you know. He also seems truly interested whenever I tell him about my flowers. I mean; most guys don't care about that, but he still listens, and remembers! He always makes me laugh. I can really relax with him, you know?" Tifa nodded. "And he is so handsome, with those intensely blue eyes, and his smile which is beyond dreamy. And don't even get me started on his physique! I knew he was working in SOLDIER, but he can pick me of the ground as if I weigh nothing."

"You can't wait to get him out of his shirt, can you?" Tifa wagged her eyebrows.

Aerith blushed, which only made her friend laugh.

"Have you told him how you feel?"

"No, or sort of."

"What do you mean '_sort _of'?"

Even though the plan was not to tell anyone, Aerith had to tell Tifa. She told Tifa everything, always, and there was no way she was keeping this from her. "We're sort of, in a way, kinda officially seeing each other."

Tifa sat there staring at her in silence, not saying a word.

"I know it's early," Aerith rushed to speak. "That's why we're '_unofficially official'_ as Zack called it. No one knows, except you, because I just told you, obviously..."

"Wow," Tifa brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her eyes.

"I think it's too early, but at the same time it doesn't feel that way. But as to your question, no I haven't told him exactly how I feel, more implied I guess. Since it's so early, it's really embarrassing, even though I know it shouldn't be! So I have to vent, and that is where you come in."

"I understand." Tifa took a sip of her coffee. "I'm just really glad you told me first, I would be super disappointed if you didn't. Besides you know I love hearing about your love-life, especially since I don't have one, at all."

Aerith shook her head in humor. "No wonder, since you're working in that bar of your all hours of the day. Your clientele aren't exactly your type either."

"No shit!" Tifa snorted. "Therefor: please tell me your soon-to-be-boyfriend has a brother."

"Nope," Aerith grinned. "But he does have a best friend. He is really cute, and I think you would be great together."

"Oooooh!" Tifa inched closer over the table with a grin. "Tell me more!"

"Well," Aerith tapped her chin with her index finger, pretending to consider her next words carefully. "He is blonde, blue eyes, really handsome, but in a gentle way. Zack knows him from work, and they are working out a lot together, so he has to be fit."

Tifa nodded eagerly, and Aerith had to bite back a grin.

"He is sort of shy, but the sweetest guy once you get to know him. A real gentleman!"

"He sounds perfect." Tifa rested her head on her hand. "There has to be something wrong with him, though. Is he gay? Married? Some weird fetish of some sort?"

"No, no, and what? No, not that I know of!"

"OK then," Tifa smiled innocently. "Is there any chance I will meet any, or both of them in the near future?"

"Oh, I will make sure of it!"

Aerith grinned into her mug, she would have to call Zack later and tell her of her plan. She could not wait to see Tifa's face, or Cloud's. This really was the perfect plan!


End file.
